Cody Goodin - The artistic and spiritual journey of Cody Goodin

I interrupt my regularly scheduled blog post to bring you a bit of a flight of fancy. Story time as I need to get some of these little stories out of my head. So, here is the first of more to come I hope. There are people who say there is no such thing as magic. Going about their busy lives blissfully thinking that what they see is what they get in life. What a pity, for they may not realize how wondrous and grand the world truly is in all it's various realities. Some say life is an illusion. Others that it is just a routine of matter. But what if there were those among the human race for whom the natural laws didn't seem to apply. By some queer twist of evolution in some distant past event that created the slightest mutation in their DNA. Poppy cock you say? Well let us entertain that notion for just a bit. In recent years science has been busy with this notion of proving how things came into existence with the field of quantum physics and string theory. An interesting ...

Trying to make a big effort to at least post once a week on ye ole blog. I feel that it is an important part of my process to share what I am working on, my thought process and my overall view of my world. I love how art can be used to express more abstract ideas and also be used to tell a story. Photography has become one of the best ways for me to do this. Partly because it is so immediate and I can go back and manipulate the image in so many ways in a shorter amount of time than traditional drawing and painting. Don't get me wrong, I love the traditional methods just fine. But, I have found that the photographic process really lends itself to my thought process much better. When your ideas come fast and furious, the best thing is to try and get them out as quickly as I can. Then I have to be mindful too of the quality of the finished image. The finished image comes in stages and that is just fine by me. I can work on a number of images at one time and continually refine them u...

I have to say that this week has been a magical one for me in so many ways. After a good amount of rough and tumble years trying to sort things out with my life. It feels like I am finally finding myself at a good place. It feels like coming home after a very long trip and a deep breath of gratitude taken as I sit down in my space. Can you just sense the peace and calm that seems to permeate the atmosphere? All of this is thanks to a purposeful journey to find my authentic self as a Creator being. You know, an artist type? Yes, it feels good to know who I am and who I am hoping to be. It was a long time in birthing but, it was well worth it. I have been practicing a daily gratitude process. To simply declare that I am thankful for all I have, for every moment in my life that has lead me to this present time. Here I sit or stand and I am who I am and that is awesome. Now I can share my inner vision with the world if the world wants to see it. That is the freedom I think most of us rea...

Hello out there in cyberland. It has been well over two months since I have posted anything on my old blog. I am currently gearing up to launch my photography career in a big way and have been busy taking classes, printing images and clearing out the old art to make way for my new venture. I am so excited about this new direction in my artistic life. Redsicovering photography after a several decades break is quite refreshing. I have always loved the idea and potential of photography as an artistic medium. But, due to my vision limitations never really thought about pursuing it as a fulltime art. Well, as I began to delve deeper into the medium, I realized that I have never let my vision limitations stop me before. So, why would I think this was any different. I am finding a lot of encouragement, support and good advice along the way. So, I would like to share a few images with you. Recently I have been exploring mobile photography using the Iphone 6s and have taken a  course to...

Hello and happy Sunday March 8, 2015 to all of you out there. I wanted to dedicate this post to the idea of light and shadow. Today and actually this weekend, we are commemorating the 50 year anniversary of the march across the bridge in Selma Alabama. This march symbolized the struggles of minorities getting equal rights in our country. It was to me a struggle between the forces of good and evil or shadow and light. So, the rune that symbolizes that the most for me is Sigil. It is seen as a zigzag and remids us of a lightning bolt. The scar on the forehead of Harry Potter was that of a sigil or lightning bolt. It represents to me the ability to face ones fears. To overpower the darkness by shining our great inner light. To let truth shine forth from the darkness of deceit and lies. A friend had posed an interesting question. " Ever feel left out on life?May sound like a strange question but I'm just wondering.thoughts anyone?" This was the question posed and it go...

One of my big obsrssions of late is that of collecting fashion dolls and action figures. It all started as a means to create some fun scenes to photograph. Funny though, I have yet to actually create any of those scenes. But, that's another story. So, I have been collectiong these little plastic and rubber people now for several years. I am hooked. I love creating stories for them and it is a bit of a childhood I never had and desperately wanted. Now as an older adult, I can choose to play with dolls. The above pictured is one of my recent and prized gifts to myself. I call her Claudette and she is a Phicen Super Seamless doll. She has a nicely articulated internal stainless steel skeleton. This allows for more realistic posing and movement. Her skin is a silicone rubber which gives it a flesh like feel. The possibilities for dressing her are endless. Her proportions are more human like too than those of Barbie. She came dressed in the skimpiest of bikinis/ This is a ra...

"Imaginary time is a new dimension, at right angles to ordinary, real time." Stephen Hawking Hello my friendly followers out there. I thought I'd post a little tid bit about my love of photography. One of the things that many photography teachers will tell you is that it is always a good idea to look closely at your surroundings. You learn to develope your artistic eye. One thing in particular is to look up. That is what I do a lot of is look up at the buildings in the downtown of the city where I work. I love seeing the layers of buildings placed one in front of the other. But, what I am truly obsessed with is angles. I enjoy seeing the interplay of the different angles and values of light. It is like a symphony of shapes and colors to me. The above shot is one taken while I was waiting for my ride home one day not long ago. It was late in the day about 5:40 pm. As I stood there I looked up across the street and noticed the striking angles and values tha...

The Urban Rune I would like to discuss this time is Tiwaz, the Sky God. It is usually symbolized as an arrow which can also sometimes be seen as a spear or literal arrow. I find this rune to be one that doesn't appear very often. In my earlier explorations of the Runes I always looked at this Rune as embodying the essence of strength and courage. Though I suppose it can still be taken in that context, I have since realized a deeper connection with Tiwaz. In the element of the sky it is the domain of intelligence, escoteric knowledge and the like. So, I began to really think about what this magical symbol means in my own life when it shows up. I borrowed this defenition from sunnyway.com as a great jumping off point to the meanings I subscribe too. " Honor, justice, leadership and authority. Analysis, rationality. Knowing where one's true strengths lie. Willingness to self-sacrifice. Victory and success in any competition or in legal matters.." The knowing wher...

In this issue of Urban Runes we will look at Ehwaz (M) or the horse as it is symbolized. The simple version is it is a rune of movement or moving. So, for my image I chose the leading lines of tail lights from cars to emphasize the idea of movement. In my interpretation of this energy it means taking action or moving towards something. That something can be a goal, or even a physical place. When Ehwaz shows up it is usually a very angular M shape. It means get moving or act now towards a goal or whatever you have been hum hauling about. The time is right to move along. The universe needs us to be moving in order to direct our energy towards our desires. That is a simple law of physics. An object at rest remains at rest unless acted upon by an outside force. But, an object in motion can be guided by gentle nudges in the direction we need to go. This allows the universe to put coincidences in our path to help us achieve that which we desire. So, remember if Ehwaz shows up in yo...

Hagalaz or Hagal is a rune that many fear to see appear in their journey. It is translated to mean hail. We all know how destructive natural events like hail storms can truly be on our environment. That is the essence of what this energy represents. A destructive force in our lives. Of course this can come in many ways. But, I look at this particular rune as a cousin to the tower card on the Tarot. It does represent destruction but, from the clearing away we can have a new start. When I see Hagal appear in my spiritual journey, I pause to reflect on what needs to be destroyed in a spiritual sense or even literal one in my life. What do I need to let go of in order to move forward or grow as a person. As with any destructive force it is initially upsetting. But, once the dust clears we just move on. This particular energy encourages us to leave the rubble behind and start fresh. That way you are not taking any baggage or damaged parts with you. My challenge to you out there is to...

This is the second installment in the urban runes series. I wanted to say a few more things about the rune IS. Winter still has a strong grip on my part of the country. So, the influence of IS prevails. One aspect of this powerful symbol is that of caution or waiting and listening. It is a time when we need to be patient for the seeds we have planted earlier in our lives to have a chance to build their roots into the earth. It is a time of rest and reflection. The image I have shared here also cautions to stop and smell the roses. When you feel stuck or anxious, go within and listen to your inner voice, your heart. What are you not doing? What do you need to do? How can you bring more love, light and peace into your life? I used to hate getting this rune in a reading or when I do my daily pick. But, now it reminds me to stop and listen. Why do I feel stuck or frustrated? Ice is a great teacher. We often times can find great beauty in winter and the ice. IS is no different. We ca...

"Transformation literally means going beyond your form." -  Wayne Dyer Transformation is a process. Sometimes it is a slow and all consuming process. Other times it can be quick and relatively painless. We are all under a state of transformation in one form or another. Most times we are not consciously aware of the process. However if one is in a personal spiritual practice, our attention can be gently guided to experience our trans formative process. It is this later state that I have been in for quite a few years. I have noted the spiral like cycles that my life and spirit evolves and changes. This is many times reflected in my art.  I have found myself at an interesting fork in the road. I am making big changes to how I create art and what is important to me. My spiritual practice or process has been a silent partner for most of the time. Not always evident in my work. But, I have decided to make a more concerted effort to change that. I would like to choose...